Rockwell Collins, Inc.

Troy D Driscoll

Brandon E Wilson

Christopher M Boggs

William T Kirchner

Alexander D Reid

Gavin P Haentjens

Jared R Prink

Weston James Lahr

A system and method for channeled processing of head-frame and earth-frame symbology for display by a head worn display (HWD) receives image data associated with a head pose (e.g., based on a head-centered or earth-centered reference frame) and generates both head-frame and earth-frame symbology. The head-frame and earth-frame symbology sets are each encoded according to different color ranges or values by image rendering processors in communication with the HWD. The HWD tracker processors receive the image data and color range encoded symbology and the HWD pose augmentation processors adjust either the head-frame or earth-frame symbology according to the associated head pose data (bypassing the other symbology set) before returning the pose-adjusted symbology to the tracker processors for generation of an output image for display by the HWD wherein color encoding is removed from the symbology sets (e.g., head-frame/adjusted earth-frame, or earth-frame/adjusted head-frame).

Head-frame symbology isolation for head worn display (HWD)

A system and method for modifying symbology displayed on a head worn display (HWD) based on a quality-of-service value is disclosed. The system includes a head worn display configured to display symbology, a tracking camera, a controller, and a tracking processing unit configured to receive inputs form the tracking camera and transmit a signal quality value to the controller. The controller includes processors and memory with instructions that when executed by the processors, cause the processors to display the symbology on the display, determine a quality-of-service value based on at least the signal quality value, and modify at least one symbol of the symbology based on the quality-of-service value from a default symbol to a degraded symbol if the quality-of-service value changes from a high-quality value to a low-quality value. The system may also receive sensor signals from other sensors, and use the sensor signal to determine the quality-of-service value.

Accuracy adaptive symbology for head worn display

A system and method for head tracking for a head worn display (HWD) includes head-frame and platform-frame IMUs providing high-rate pose data of the wearer's head and a mobile platform. An optical tracker estimates an optical pose of a camera oriented at fiducials based on a comparison of 2D image data captured by the camera (and portraying the fiducials within the image) and the known location of each fiducial in a 3D marker frame. The pIMU also provides low-rate, high-integrity georeferenced pose data of the mobile platform (e.g., in an earth frame). The head tracker provides low-rate, high-integrity absolute head pose solutions (e.g., user head pose in the earth frame) based on the georeferenced pose data and current high-rate head/platform pose data, updating the absolute pose solutions with high-rate updates based on combined extended Kalman filter propagation of the high-rate head and platform pose data with refined optical pose data.

Head tracking system with extended kalman filter combining absolute and relative navigation

A system and method for predicting an estimated head pose solution of a head worn display (HWD) at a future time selects or determines, for each HWD rotational axis, a relative angular rate of a head reference frame relative to a body reference frame. By sampling the relative angular rate, a relative angular acceleration is determined. Based on a projection time associated with estimated display latency, angular increment vectors for each rotational axis are determined for relative angular rate and relative angular acceleration. The current head pose solution is adjusted with respect to one or more axes based on the angular increment vectors to project the head pose estimate ahead based on the projection time, the resulting projected head pose solution corresponding to a predicted orientation of the head frame relative to the body frame at the future time.

System and method for pose prediction in head worn display (HWD) headtrackers

A system comprising a head worn display and an image rendering computing device is disclosed. The head worn display comprises one or more image sensors, a head position sensor, and a head position computing device configured to determine a first head pose. The image rendering computing device is configured to render an enhanced image and embed the first head pose in the enhanced image. The head position computing platform is further configured to determine a second head pose, determine a difference between the second head pose and the first head pose, and warp the enhanced image based on the difference between the second head pose and the first head pose to correct for head motion of the user.

Pose augmentation of head worn display video for latency reduction

An augmented reality system is disclosed that includes an image source configured to generate an image, and a display element configured to display the image. The system further includes an optical relay configured to project the image onto the display element. The system further includes a light sensor configured to quantify an amount of ambient light passing through, the display element. The system further includes a tracker processing unit operatively coupled to the light sensor, the image source, and the optical relay. The tracker processing unit includes a processor, and a memory configured to store instructions executable by the processors. The processors are instructed to receive sensor data from the light sensor, receive the image from the image source, update a pixel characteristic for one or more pixels of the image based on the sensor data, and transmit an updated image to the optical relay.

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West Linn, OR, United States of America

Troy D Driscoll